Strong Pitching Not Enough In Loss At FIU, 1-0
2/25/2022 10:46:00 PM | Baseball
Seton Hall also tallied 13 hits in loss to Michigan
By Mark Mincolelli
Miami, Fla. — Despite racking up 13 hits in game one and strong pitching in game two, the Seton Hall baseball team couldn't close out a win as the Pirates fell to Michigan, 8-2, before dropping a tight one to Florida International in the evening, 1-0.
Junior Devin Hack (Somerville, N.J.) went 5-for-7 on the day with a run scored and two doubles. Graduate student Hunter Waldis (Naples, Fla.) went five innings and allowed only two hits and no earned runs while striking out four against FIU.
Game One
The Pirates got on the scoreboard first against the Wolverines where junior Mark McNelly (Limerick, Pa.) drove Hack in on a single to center field after Hack reached on a one-out double.
Michigan responded in the home half with two runs to take a 2-1 lead. The Pirates would put four runners on base over the next three innings and it would come back to cost them as the Wolverines expanded their lead 6-1.
In the top of the sixth, senior Steve Grober (Hillsborough, N.J.) singled with one out and later went from first to third base on a base hit by freshman Jedier Hernandez (Trenton, N.J.). With two down, a Michigan wild pitch allowed Grober to score from third and it cut Seton Hall's deficit to four, 6-2. The Wolverines tacked on two more runs in the seventh and it helped put the game out of reach.
Game Two
A pitching duel was on display in game two as Waldis and Florida International starting right hander Pridgen Patrick traded shutout innings. Waldis now has 10 strikeouts in nine complete innings this season, and he registered his 31st scoreless appearance on the bump.
Freshman right-hander Daniel Frontera (Red Bank, N.J.) relieved Waldis in the bottom frame of the sixth inning. The knotted score was broken however when Frontera overthrew the first baseman allowing Florida International's baserunner to reach third base. The ensuing batter then lined a fastball to deep left field, cashing in the game's lone run via the sacrifice fly. Frontera's unearned run proved to be the deciding score, and he was tagged with the loss.
Up Next
Seton Hall heads back to FIU Baseball Stadium to take on the Florida International in the final game of their non-conference stand on Sunday at 1 p.m.
